incubate

[in-kyuh-beyt, ing-]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR incubate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), in·cu·bat·ed, in·cu·bat·ing.

to sit upon (eggs) for the purpose of hatching.

to hatch (eggs), as by sitting upon them or by artificial heat.

to maintain at a favorable temperature and in other conditions promoting development, as cultures of bacteria or prematurely born infants.

to develop or produce as if by hatching; give form to: His brain was incubating schemes for raising money.

verb (used without object), in·cu·bat·ed, in·cu·bat·ing.

to sit upon eggs.

to undergo incubation.

to develop; grow; take form: A plan was slowly incubating in her mind.

Origin of incubate

1635–45; < Latin incubātus past participle of incubāre to lie or recline on, to sit on (eggs), equivalent to in- in-² + cub(āre) to sit, lie down + -ātus -ate¹; cf. incumbent, concubine

Related formsin·cu·ba·tive, adjectiveun·in·cu·bat·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for incubate

breed, nurture, brood, produce

Examples from the Web for incubate

Contemporary Examples of incubate

They employ and fund researchers, incubate and test new technologies relating to energy storage, production and carbon capture.
Why Stanford Should Keep Its Coal Stocks
Daniel Gross
May 15, 2014
Texas may be a testing ground, but it is in Silicon Valley that ideas germinate and incubate.
The GOP’s Huge, Growing Modernity Gap
Lloyd Green
June 9, 2013
Koch helped kill one species of Democratic politics and incubate another.
Who Is the Republican Ed Koch?
Peter Beinart
February 5, 2013
In another study, “one man reported that he felt compelled to incubate and help hatch out a clutch of bantam chickens.”
Will I Get Fat? 15 Signs You'll Gain Weight
Anneli Rufus
November 10, 2011

Historical Examples of incubate

There are also American cuckoos that build their own nest and incubate their own eggs.
Birds in the Calendar
Frederick G. Aflalo
Pour plates from the agar tubes; label, and incubate at 37° C.
The Elements of Bacteriological Technique
John William Henry Eyre
Incubate the cultivations and examine carefully from day to day.
The Elements of Bacteriological Technique
John William Henry Eyre
Earwigs lay their eggs, and then incubate them after the manner of the hen.
The Dawn of Reason
James Weir
These are covered with sand or leaves, and left for the sun to incubate.
Animal Life of the British Isles
Edward Step

British Dictionary definitions for incubate

incubate

verb

(of birds) to supply (eggs) with heat for their development, esp by sitting on them

to cause (eggs, embryos, bacteria, etc) to develop, esp in an incubator or culture medium

(intr) (of eggs, embryos, bacteria, etc) to develop in favourable conditions, esp in an incubator

(intr) (of disease germs) to remain inactive in an animal or human before causing disease

to develop or cause to develop gradually; foment or be fomented

Derived Formsincubation, nounincubational, adjectiveincubative or incubatory, adjective

Word Origin for incubate

C18: from Latin incubāre to lie upon, hatch, from in- ² + cubāre to lie down

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for incubate

1640s, "to brood upon, watch jealously" (which also was a figurative sense of Latin incubare); 1721 as "to sit on eggs to hatch them," from Latin incubatus, past participle of incubare "to lie in or upon" (see incubation). Related: Incubated; incubating.

incubate in Medicine

incubate

[ĭn′kyə-bāt′, ĭng′-]

v.

To maintain eggs, organisms, or living tissue at optimal environmental conditions for growth and development.

To maintain a chemical or biochemical system under specific conditions in order to promote a particular reaction.

incubate in Science

incubation

[ĭn′kyə-bā′shən]

The act of warming eggs in order to hatch them, as by a bird sitting upon a clutch of eggs in a nest.

The act of keeping an organism, a cell, or cell culture in conditions favorable for growth and development.

The maintenance of an infant, especially one that is ill or born before the usual gestation period, in an environment of controlled temperature, humidity, and oxygen concentration in order to provide optimal conditions for growth and development.

The development of an infection from the time the pathogen enters the body until signs or symptoms first appear.

Related formsincubate verb